Posted on 19 October 2026
Our StaffJan Irvine retired from Open Polytechnic in July 2026, after 25 years as a Library and Information Studies (LIS) lecturer.
Her final piece of research surveyed library and information studies alumni from the last quarter of a century to find out how useful their skills and knowledge have been in the workplace.
Open Polytechnic started offering the LIS programme in 1998, with 3700 past students invited to participate in the survey in 2024.
“We were delighted by the response,” Jan says.
Of the 552 participants, there were 171 librarians, 117 school librarians, 177 library assistants, and 133 in other roles.
The research asked about both transferable and core skills and knowledge.
Information professional skills cluster received the most responses.
This cluster included aspects such as information seeking, information literacy, research, analytical skills, metadata (understanding and use), and developing new services.
Communication and People/interpersonal were the next highest for the library – focused participants, while Leadership and People/interpersonal were the next highest for the RAIM (Records, Archives and Information Management) participants.
The research found that the top five transferable skills and knowledge across all job types were information literacy, time management, information seeking, written communication and problem-solving.
“The real-world impact of this research extends beyond informing one organisation’s curriculum development,” Jan says.
“By drawing on alumni perspectives from 25 years, our study provides evidence of which core, and transferable skills and knowledge remain valuable across changing roles, technologies, and career trajectories.”
According to Jan, whilst it is often assumed that a qualification in library and information studies is career specific, the findings of the research reveal a broad range of core and transferrable skills, highly relevant to contemporary workplaces and life.
“The findings demonstrated the breadth and relevance of transferable skills developed through LIS education, including among alumni now working outside the information professions,” Jan says.
“This enables more informed decision-making about what should be prioritised within constrained curricula; what can reasonably be learned in the workplace; and where continuing professional development might be most appropriate.”
The article was a real team effort, with Jan, a Senior Lecturer in the LIS programme at the time, starting research in 2022, with support from Pam Bidwell, Senior Lecturer and others in the LIS team.
Photo: Amanda Cossham (left) and Jan Irvine (right) at an Open Polytechnic graduation ceremony in 2025.
Amanda Cossham, now the Research Development Leader, supported Jan with data analysis and creating a presentation for the 2025 RAILS: Research Approaches for Library and Information Studies Conference.
The presentation was turned into an article for a conference issue of JALIA: Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association.
The final product, Looking to the Past to Inform the Future: Core and Transferable Skills and Knowledge of Information Professionals provides valuable industry insights into the most useful skills and knowledge alumni gained from their qualifications, to inform future curriculum planning.
The research contributes to discussions about curriculum responsiveness, lifelong learning, and the shift towards heutagogical (learner-centred, self-determined) approaches in professional education.
“As LIS programmes around the world grapple with rapid technological change, the findings provide empirically grounded insights to support curriculum redesign, and alignment between education providers, professional associations, employers, and practitioners,” Jan says.
Jan has worked in a wide variety of library roles, mainly in the tertiary, law and government department libraries.
“The Open Polytechnic is a great place to work – I enjoyed the variety and flexibility of the work, and there is a lovely campus in Lower Hutt,” Jan says.
“I have really enjoyed my work and would like to encourage more library professionals to think about moving into an academic/teaching role.”
The research on this topic is ongoing, with two more related articles in development.
Find out more about Open Polytechnic's Library and Information Studies programmes.